Waratah train fleet now complete

The final Waratah train was delivered to Sydney’s rail network at the start of June, which now means that practically every timetabled train service in the NSW capital is air-conditioned.

The train delivered on June 2 is the 78th and last piece in the Waratah puzzle, and with these trains making up a significant proportion of Sydney’s passenger train fleet, the city’s public rail network looks to be in safe hands both now and into the future.

“The Waratahs now represent around half of Sydney’s suburban fleet, which means that more and more customers will be able to experience the fleet’s unique safety, accessibility and comfort features,” announced NSW Premier and Minister for Western Sydney Mike Baird at the delivery of the final train.

One of the standout features of the Waratah trains is their ‘smart’ air-conditioning, which has the ability to automatically adjusts according to the number of people on board. The roll-out of the Waratah fleet means that every timetabled service in Sydney has air-conditioning, except the Olympic Park Line, which only has one stop. However, air-conditioned trains will be provided during special events.

Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian said this would be a major boost for train passengers in Sydney who have always yearned for air-conditioning on trains.

“For too long customers have complained about travelling in trains without air-conditioning. It was one of the biggest gripes our customers had and now I’m pleased that the days of sitting in a hot train in summer or a cold train in winter are over,” she stated.

In addition to the enhanced comfort from the air-conditioning, these new trains offer an additional level of security. Each train is equipped with 64 internal CCTV cameras in addition to 32 external cameras, meaning commuters can travel with extra reassurance.